Category Archives: HBO Max

The Last of Us S2 E4

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“Day One”

So I got to watch The Last of Us on MAX last night, but I had to wait until the Dodgers/Braves game ended, and I did not have time to do the write up.

This was a heavy Ellie/Dina story with them trying to navigate the city of Seattle. They are in search of Abby for revenge, but they have yet to find her.

Ellie and Dina had some big things happen.

  • They get together and make love. Dina told Ellie about her real feelings.
  • They get caught in a building with a bunch of infected and try to run.
  • Just before Dina gets bitten, Ellie stuck her arm in the way and takes the bite.
  • Ellie confesses to Dina that she was immune to the infected.
  • We meet Isaac, who killed his whole FEDRA unit.

Isaac is played by Jeffrey Wright, who is an awesome actor. His scenes with the naked guy he was torturing was intense. I am looking forward to seeing what this guy’s story is going to be.

  • Dina tells Ellie that she was pregnant.
  • Ellie finds a guitar and plays “Take on Me.” She sings to Dina. I really liked that scene.

These Wolves look to be a real problem.

The Last of Us S2 E3

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“The Path”

This is the first week of the post-Joel era of The Last of Us, and much about us grieving the loss.

I have to tell you that the cry of Ellie as she woke up in the hospital was just feral. Totally crushing. I was nearly in tears from just Ellie’s roar of anguish.

This show has been effective with their time jumps. This is another good one, but I thought the moments before the leap (Ellie in hospital, Tommy with Joel’s brother) were tremendous.

Three months later, Ellie is getting out of the hospital with the anger underneath the surface.

It was great to see Catherine O’Hara again as the local therapist. Her meeting with Ellie was funny and her conversation with Tommy was interesting. The sudden baseball game that Catherine O’Hara was watching was a weird and felt odd. She has added a ton to the show in her few scenes.

Ellie and Dina are on the road to go kill Abby. The Jackson Council refused to send a group of 15 to Seattle after Abby and the others who killed Joel. Ellie tried to speak to the Council and her speech was moving. Didn’t work though. Ellie had never planned on accepting the verdict of the Council.

The group of people who just appeared in the woods and wound up getting killed was a weird detour in the show. These people’s death must be part of the next story arc, but it seemed to come out of nowhere.

The scene of Ellie at Joel’s grave was powerful too. The director spoke about this scene being an opportunity for the audience to grieve with Ellie.

Good episode. Seattle looks like a bad deal.

The Last of Us S2 E2

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“Through the Valley”

I can’t believe it.

I was aware of Joel’s fate in general from the video game, but I knew no specifics. So as this was being set up, I was in denial. I was sure that they had planned on extending Pedro Pascal’s part longer into season two because of how huge of a star he had become.

Nope. Episode two and Joel is dead.

Honestly, right up until the end, before Abby drove that broken golf club into Joel’s neck, I thought he was getting out of it, somehow. I never played the game so I was unaware that this was setting up a scene that was straight out of the game.

Ellie held on the ground, screaming for mercy for the man who was like a father to her was heartbreaking, and I know that there are extenuating circumstances behind the vengeance of Abby, but I want her dead… just so dead.

Joel had saved her life earlier in the episode as she had been chased by the Infected and was about to be caught when Joel appeared from nowhere to stop it. The whole chase scene with Abby and the Infected, as well as the crawling beneath the collapsing fence, was just suspenseful.

Before this tragic event, the Infected crashing into the city and causing such a tremendous amount of loss. The standoff with Tommy and the Bloater was intense as you get on TV. I thought Tommy was a goner, but he was able to make it through, thankfully.

Bella Ramsey was amazing in this episode. They are absolutely setting up Ellie and Abby as similar characters for future face off. Historically, heroes and villains are like the other side of the same coin. This feels like the show is building a hero/villain archetype.

The Last of Us S2 E1

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“Future Days”

Season two of the tense and traumatic HBO Max show, The Last of Us, just debuted and the relationship between Joel and Ellie was shaken and on the edge. And it clearly is related to the lie Joel told at the end of last season, to hide the brutality that he committed against the fireflies in order to save Ellie’s life. It has been five years later and there have been issues since that lie, bringing them to the point where they are now.

The show kicked off and ended with the same group of people, the surviving Fireflies that Joel did not murder at the hospital. They, particularly a woman named Abby, swear that they will find and kill Joel, no matter how long it takes. Apparently, how long it will take is five years as they show up at the end of the episode again.

It looks as if the choices made by Joel is the driving force of the drama for this season, whether it be from the group looking for vengeance to Ellie knowing that he has been lying to her for years. I think it is obvious that Ellie knows that Joel lied to her. You can see it in her face.

Catharine O’Hara is a member of the cast this season as Gail, who is a therapist that has been working with Joel. Joel has not been wanting to admit to anything and even after Gail mentioned her husband Eugene, who apparently Joel had to kill, he does not go into specifics (I just saw that Eugene will be played by Joe Pantoliano, so… flashbacks I assume!). He does not seem to be good at hiding it, because it sure seems as if everyone could tell that he had something he was keeping inside.

There is a new type of infected too. It was an infected that did not just run right at you, but who stalked you, hid from you, and positioned itself into proper spot. It was a creepy scene where the infected stalked Ellie.

This episode built the characters and started to place them into position to where they will face the trouble this season. The distance between Joel and Ellie is hard to watch considering how close they had become by the end of the first season.

The Leftovers S1 E4

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“B.J. and the AC”

The Leftovers focuses back on Kevin Garvey after last episode with Father Matt. Someone stole the baby Jesus from the nativity scene and Kevin is getting pressure from the Mayor to find it (or replace it). Kevin suspected that his daughter was the culprit.

Laurie and Meg come to see Kevin. Meg read a letter written by Laurie claiming that she wanted a divorce. However, Kevin wouldn’t accept it unless Laurie tells him that she wants out. He is screaming at her, and Jill sees this.

There are some scenes that I do not understand, including the group of dead bodies in the road, all dressed in white. Christine said it was just like the dream, but I must admit to not being sure which dream she was referring to. Tom has been all over the place in this episode.

This was not as strong as last week, but there are some good moments in it.

The White Lotus S3 E8

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“Amor Fati”

No justice for Tonya, after all.

I do not think I have been as disappointed in a character as I am with Belinda. Going from a likable character to a blackmailer was an unsatisfactory ending for me. I really had hoped Gary/Greg would get his comeuppance, but all he had to do was pay some money.

Rick and Chelsea ended in such a tragic manner. I had guessed the possibility of Rick being the son of the man who he had confronted last episode, but I did not see it paying off as it did.

The Ratliffs all survived even though it did not look like they were going to. Lochlan sure looked as if he had passed on, but I guess he was able to shake it off. Not sure how that will end. I just see a lot of stress for that group moving forward.

The three blondes had a nice scene together as they spoke from the heart and rebuilt their friendship. I still do not see how that trio really fit into the story well. Their final scene together at dinner was beautifully acted though.

I found this season’s overarching story to be the worst of the three seasons, but I did like a lot more characters this year. However, I may not be a fan of many of them at the end of the episode.

The White Lotus S3 E7

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“Killer Instinct”

The penultimate episode of season three of The White Lotus aired tonight on MAX and it set up several major storylines for a potential explosive finale.

Greg/Gary offered Belinda $100,000 to basically forget everything she knows about him and about Tanya. She was not happy about the offer and there is a whole tension built by the show. I feel this has been my favorite storyline consistently the whole season.

Rick was able to confront the big bad from his past. Meanwhile, Frank is distracting the wife, drinking whiskey after ten years of sobriety. Though it feels like Rick took a step toward getting past his childhood trauma, I have a sense that something tragic is about to happen in this story. I felt bad for Frank.

Timothy slips deeper into his depression and drug use and his thoughts of killing himself and his family are filling his head. I’m nervous about what Timothy might do.

I still find little engagement with the three blondes, even though now Laurie hooked up with Aleksei. The whole three blondes and the Russians story has gone nowhere for me.

One more week to go. I hope things wrap up well.

Justice for Tonya!

The Leftovers S1 E3

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“Two Boats and A Helicopter”

This episode of The Leftovers was different than the first two and focused on a different character, to outstanding results.

Christopher Eccleston appeared as Reverend Matt Jamison, whose church was facing financial struggles. In fact, it was up for sale by the bank after foreclosure. The bank had allowed him to continue with his church but once there was a buyer, he would need to get out.

Of course, this episode’s conflict began when there was a buyer.

The bank allowed Matt a chance to beat the price, in cash, of the other buyer, but he had a deadline of the next day at the end of business hours.

We see the perspective of Matt through the episode as he desperately tried to find the $135,000 he was going to need. He wound up with $20,000 given to him by Kevin Garvey Sr, the former police chief that had been buried in the Garveys’ backyard.

He took that money and went to a casino, playing roulette three times, winning each. He made $160,000.

That was when the real troubles began. Another patron of the casino tried to rob him, but Matt fought back violently. Then, Matt stopped to help a member of the Guilty Remnant who had been hit in the face with a rock by a passing by vehicle. Before he could finish the call to 9-1-1, the vehicle returned and hit Matt in the face with a rock as well.

Matt had a series of prophetic dreams and memories of the past. When he awoke, he rushed back to his car and took the money to the bank. He came to find out that he had been in the hospital for three days and the church had been sold… to the Guilty Remnant.

This was an excellent episode with a stellar performance from Eccleston. The roulette wheel sequence was tense and filled with suspense. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen as the wheel went around. I picked out the guy who attacked Matt… saw that one coming, but Matt’s response was brutal and unexpected. His kindness nailed him though when he stopped to help those people. I knew something was going tohappen.

At the end, all I could think of was his housekeeper, who he hadn’t paid for three weeks, and who he asked to watch over his comatose wife on Monday when he went to the casino. He left her there for three days and we never found out what happened with her.

This was very different from the first two episodes and shows an effective style of storytelling.

The White Lotus S3 E6

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“Denials”

Only two more episodes remaining in season 3 for The White Lotus. And things are starting to ramp up.

Still my favorite storyline has been the Gary/Greg story. He is setting up a dinner party and he is inviting some people that he feels he has some issues with. I have a feeling this dinner party could be a major event on the show.

Belinda getting caught in bed by her son was funny.

Saxton and Lochlin struggle to remember what happened on the boat with Chloe and, as memories are coming back, Saxton is feeling repulsed by what happened in the heat of the moment.

Rick is getting himself invited to Sritala under a false pretense to see her husband, whom he shared a dark back story with. Rick has a gun with him. This does not feel like it is going to end well.

Speaking about not ending well, Timothy has been having some dark, suicidal or homicidal thoughts. The troubles awaiting him back in the States are weighing on him, and both Victoria and Saxton told him that they couldn’t go on without the money. They had no idea what they were saying or how true it was about to come, but it was in Timothy’s head. The Ratcliff family is heading to that dinner party too.

My least favorite story continues to be Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie. The three blondes were fighting over Valentin staying the night. I do love these actresses, but I just don’t see what this story has to do with anything.

The Leftovers S1 E2

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“Penguin One, Us Zero”

The second episode of The Leftovers picked up the storylines from the pilot and continued them. One of the major features was Kevin Garvey and his own personal struggles. It seems as if Garvey is afraid of losing his mind and he thought he was seeing things that were not there. He had some issues with a bagel as well as the problem about the dog shooting that he participated in the other night.

Kevin’s son, Tom, is in his own trouble. He was hooked up with Wayne’s cult, and he killed an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Cults who was just about to execute Christine. Tom and Christine escaped to a gas station, where they expected to meet Wayne. However, the gas station attendant was already dead, spooking Tom. Wayne pulled up before Tom could complete a phone call to his dad. Wayne instructed Tom to protect Christine and for them to go on the run until he called them back.

The man who shot the dogs came to Garvey’s house wanting to have Garvey join him the next night to shoot some more dogs. There was a pack he had discovered near the school. This is a strange piece of the story so far, especially since no one else seems to know who this bald man was. It is not just Garvey’s imagination though as his daughter Jill sees him too.

The Mayor visited Garvey’s father, Kevin Sr., at the institution and Garvey showed up while she was there. What connection does Lucy have with Kevin Sr?

It’s still early to wonder about the character played by Carrie Coon. She is carrying a gun, apparently related to Father Matt and is interviewing people about people close to them who had disappeared.

I feel as if the show will start to pick up more over the next few episodes and I am committed to watching it.

The Leftovers S1 E1

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“Pilot”

I needed some more TV shows to watch. Of course, I have a bunch of shows that I watch during the week, such as Daredevil: Born Again, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets. However, with the rewatch/new watch shows, I have finished Battlestar Galactica, Bates Motel, Dark Matter and others leaving me just The X-Files to watch. I decided it was time to dip into the queue and see what series I could add to the X-Files.

I have been interested in The Leftovers for awhile now. I have heard positive word of mouth about the series, and it did not hurt that it was from Damon Lindelof, one of the driving forces behind LOST, my favorite show of all time.

The Leftovers has been on my MAX list for awhile now and I thought this was the perfect time to start this show.

My first thoughts was that the Russo Brothers must have taken inspiration from this show for Avengers: Endgame, because there were so many early episode similarities. The disappearance of the people from the earth right down to the THREE YEARS LATER that came on the screen. (Yes, Endgame was FIVE YEARS LATER, but that is semantics).

The world we were being introduced to had that same grim feel that Endgame had in its first moments where we see the post blip. This was with only 2% of the population of earth disappearing. I can’t imagine how that would feel, when people you know were just gone, with no explanation. Avengers: Endgame could blame Thanos. Where were the answers for these people?

The pilot began to introduce us to characters, and getting to know a large ensemble is a challenging task. This show did it very well as I was engaged with everyone as the episode progressed. There were plenty of mysteries and untold stories that will be revealed, I’m sure. The trauma from everyone in this town was obvious.

There are three seasons of The Leftovers with 28 episodes overall. There were several moments in the pilot that caused me to shout out. I am sure that this will live up to the hype.

The White Lotus S3 E5

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“Full Moon Party”

Sam Rockwell showed up in Bangkok as Rick’s friend. He brought him a gun and a story about what led him to be ten months sober, and that story was about as unexpectantly shocking as anything on the episode.

It felt like something horrific was going to happen the whole episode.

In the end, most of these stories felt as if they were in a holding pattern. It felt as if something was going to happen that was tragic, but it never did.

I am still most invested in Belinda and her worries over Greg/Gary, which leads to a night of passion for her.

I’m not sure what the trio of blondes and the Russians story was. I was not a fan of the party boat with the Ratliff boys. Timothy Ratliff’s suicidal feelings are interesting, and Parker Posey is always fun.

At this point, I am not sure what is going on and I am not sure where this season is heading. I do like these characters, but I just feel as if nothing of substance has happened and I am waiting for it to kick into gear.

The White Lotus S3 E4

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“Hide or Seek”

The White Lotus is picking its pace up as the season progresses.

  • Timothy has seemingly developed a drug problem and finally talked to someone about the FBI problem. Things look bad for the family.
  • Piper wants to tell her parents about her future choices.
  • Saxon and Lochlan are on a yacht, partying despite their lack of knowledge about their family financial situation.
  • Rick confesses why he came to Indonesia to Chelsea, having to do with the man who killed his father.
  • Belinda finally made her way to Google to discover the fate of Tonya and figure out that Gary is, in fact, Greg. This is my favorite storyline right now as I want Greg to go down for his part in Tanya’s death.
  • There is a missing gun.

Things are ratcheting up and I am here for it.

The White Lotus S3 E3

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“The Meaning of Dreams”

Big lesson to learn from this episode: don’t release a cobra.

Second big lesson: All the bald, white guys look alike.

Finally, voting for Trump can cause friction among friends.

The White Lotus had its third episode drop on MAX Sunday night, and, between the Oscars and RAW, I am just getting around to it tonight. It was a lot of fun as some weird and humorous things occurred. There also felt as if there were several biblical allegories happening.

Rick, stoned, released a bunch of poisonous snakes from the terrarium at a local snake show, including a cobra which just happened to bite Chelsea. She was rushed to the hospital, but she turned out fine. When asked why he let the snakes free, Rick just said that he felt bad for them. Chelsea said that snakes were evil, but Rick said that even evil things should not be treated badly. This was a weird sequence with these two.

Belinda went to speak to “Gary” because she had thought she had placed the face that she recognized. She was sure that he was Greg, who had married Tanya. He denied it, of course, but she clearly made “Gary” feel uneasy and could Belinda just put herself in danger? I really want Gary/Greg to get his comeuppance this season from his manipulations that led to poor Tanya’s death last season.

Timothy Ratliff finally decided to put his phone away, since it was constantly blowing up with people trying to contact him… specifically the FBI. The stress is beginning to get to Timothy and he took some sleep medication to get some rest. This looks like an arc forming around him and this drug.

Kate told Jaclyn and Laurie that her husband had voted for Trump and that she was an independent, dodging the question about whether she had voted for Trump. Jaclyn and Laurie were laughing about it later and Kate overheard them. I mean… Kate is from Texas after all.

I like where many of these stories are going and I hope for justice for Tanya!

The White Lotus S3 E2

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“The Meaning of Dreams”

I do think this episode was a slow burn. There was some interesting conversations and what felt like a lot of set up.

There was a robbery that was surprising and exciting.

I am pleased that Gary is truly Greg, from the previous two seasons. I would love to see this rat bastard get his comeuppance for his involvement in Tanya’s death from season two.

What is happening with the Ratliff family? There is a plethora of storylines stuck within this group of characters.

Rick is a mystery for me and I am intrigued by who he is.

There is a lot of humor and curiosity going on with this season.